FOUR comedians team up to bring you four sets for the price of one. A fool-proof concept? Max Merrill went to the Lowry to see if the deal delivered…
Kiwi comedian Jarred Christmas kicked off the evening’s entertainment with an effortless off the cuff chat with the audience. In fact, it took him 15 minutes before he had to rely on prepared material, as he riffed off the audience’s participation. His laidback and chatty style was reminiscent of Dara O’Briain and he very nearly stole the show from his fellow performers.
Watch out for Christmas, as he looks to be a future star and well worth a punt when it comes to a solo show. In fact, he got the most consistent laughs of the evening, though the biggest guffaw was given to Pete Firman, magician-cum-stand-up-cum-magician.
Second up was Gary Delaney, who launched into a set of prepared one-liners. Yours truly not being a fan of this comedic style, it was hard to warm to his set, even though some jokes were of good quality. There was a noticeable split among the audience as Delaney spewed joke after joke, and where some thoroughly enjoyed his set, others yearned for Christmas’s chatty storytelling.
In fact, Delaney remarked on the contrast of styles himself, revealing a self-conscious side. Unfortunately, he also swallowed some of his words, mumbling certain punchlines, thereby killing the joke. He did however end his act by paying tribute to an audience member who had previously revealed his penchant for martial arts and endeared himself to the crowd by attempting a forward roll on stage.
Christmas returned (the comic, not the yuletide festivity) and introduced magician Pete Firman, who himself admitted that he is not necessarliy a comic. However, this quickly revealed itself to be a ridiculous statement, as Firman wowed the audience with off the cuff gags, witty reactions, clever card tricks and genuinely good magic tricks. There hasn’t been a better comedian-magician since Tommy Cooper in my humble opinion and I’m basing this on a 20 minute set.
Firman was absolutely excellent when it came to interacting with the crowd and also made the tired magician routine of bringing up two unwitting participants look fresh and funny. Much like Christmas, his affable and improvised nature made him a hit with the crowd.
Last up was veteran and headline act Sean Hughes. Although he did get big laughs and interacted well with the crowd, the set did leave a bit to be desired. There was a slightly awkward interaction with a single mother, who was willed to get a partner and almost chastised for being single.
Also, at times Hughes did not get the balance between ‘darkly funny’ and ‘just plain bitter and miserable’ right. However, he drew big laughs and ended his set with a rather surprising song, which was more miss than hit. It was clear Hughes was portraying himself as the miserable, ranting comic, but sometimes the comedic element was not necessarily detectable.
The evening ended with the comics choosing their favourite of audience submitted jokes, which was a very 21st century audience interaction and worked well. The winner was awarded a bottle of champers and the four comics joined up on stage to select the winner.
Overall, Christmas and Firman more than stole the show. Four comics for the price of one was not just enjoyable for the audience, but a potentially effective efficient business model for the stand-up of the future.
By Max Merrill
@MaxTMRadio
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